Though there has been a great deal of national attention in recent
months about the uses of ethanol crops for transportation
fuel, Florida has now taken its first steps to begin to become
a player in this area by the creation of a biomass Web site.

A screen shot of the new biomass Web
site.

Funding early last year from the Florida Energy Office allowed FSEC
to work with Florida International University on creating a unique
Web site giving a visual assessment of the state’s biomass resources. “This
Web site is a key component of a biomass plan for Florida,” explained
FSEC’s David Block, Director Emeritus, who has followed the
project’s results and who had worked with FIU on a previous
biomass project. He noted that “Biomass for Florida
is an absolute must and the key is to first identify the locations
of the resource. Everyone has heard about E-85 and other biomass-related
transportation fuels, but if we’re going to produce fuels like
this in Florida, we need to find out what the potential really is. This
Web site is going to answer questions like this for us.”

Former FSEC staff member Jennifer Szaro directed the biomass effort,
which included the web site and a detailed literature review and creation
of material resource maps for bioenergy and biofuels with draft resource
data on such feedstocks as wastewater treatment facilities, yard waste
collection facilities, sugar farms and processing facilities and additional
citrus waste.

All of this can be found on the site at http://hcetgis.hcet.fiu.edu/Website/FL_Biomass. FSEC
directed FIU’s work in creating a highly pictorial overview
of all the biomass resources in Florida, allowing visitors
to the site to click on locations to see the different types
available, ranging from crop products to landfills. “This
is clearly a first step in considering the development of ethanol
plants in Florida,” Block
explained. “The fuel offers great potential and the Web
site information will help decision-makers plan for future transportation
fuels.”

The site is still being developed and new features, including a users
guide, are planned for the future.